''Hell on Wheels'' is a 1967 American film about

stock-car racing Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

that includes musical performances by several popular

country and western A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singers. It stars

Marty Robbins Martin David Robinson (September 26, 1925 – December 8, 1982), known professionally as Marty Robbins, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, multi-instrumentalist, and NASCAR racing driver. Robbins was one of the most popular and suc ...

, a popular and successful singer who also dabbled as a

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

race driver for a number of years.

Plot

Marty, a stock-car driver, has two brothers: Del, a mechanic who is jealous of Marty, and Steve, who tries to bust a

moonshine Moonshine is high-proof liquor that is usually produced illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of creating the alcohol during the nighttime, thereby avoiding detection. In the first decades of the 21st century, commercial dist ...

ring. Del opens his own garage, building "tankers" for moonshiners on the side, ignoring the requests of his girlfriend Sue. Del makes a proposition to the owner of a car that Marty has often defeated and is allowed to drive against his brother. Del wins the race and tries to break away from the moonshine ring, but he and Marty are kidnapped. They manage to escape and the moonshine gang die in a car chase. Marty and Del then help Steve round up the remaining criminals. The brothers are also regulars at a local club where musical performances by Robbins,

Connie Smith Connie Smith (born Constance June Meador; August 14, 1941) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her contralto vocals have been described by music writers as significant and influential to the women of country music. A similarity h ...

and

the Stonemans Ernest Van "Pop" Stoneman (May 25, 1893 – June 14, 1968) was an American musician, ranked among the prominent recording artists of country music's first commercial decade. Biography Born in a log cabin in Monarat (Iron Ridge), Carroll Count ...

are featured.

Cast

as himself * John Ashley as Del *

Gigi Perreau Gigi Perreau (born February 6, 1941) is an American film and television actress. Early years The daughter of French-born Robert and Eleanor Child Perreau-Saussine, she was born Ghislaine Elizabeth Marie Thérèse Perreau-Saussine. Career Perre ...

as Sue *

Robert Dornan The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

as Steve *

as herself *

The Stonemans Ernest Van "Pop" Stoneman (May 25, 1893 – June 14, 1968) was an American musician, ranked among the prominent recording artists of country music's first commercial decade. Biography Born in a log cabin in Monarat (Iron Ridge), Carroll Count ...

as themselves *Robert Foulk *

Frank Gerstle Francis M. Gerstle (September 27, 1915 – February 23, 1970) was an American character actor who appeared in supporting roles in numerous films, radio programs and TV shows following World War II. Biography Gerstle's notable appearances inc ...

*Christine Tabbott *Chris Eland *Eddie Crandall *Marvin Miller as the racing announcer

Songs

*"No Tears Milady" *"The Shoe Goes on the Other Foot" *"Fly Butterfly Fly" *"This Song" *"Darling Would You Take Me Back Again" *"I'll Have to Make Some Changes"

Production

The film was shot in

Nashville Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...

and was independently produced. John Ashley later recalled: "Marty was a terrific fellow and a great singer, and I was a big fan of his. He was a stock car racer, loved stock cars, and the producers had put this thing together. They said to me that this was going to be his motion picture debut, and they needed me to play his brother and basically carry the movie. So I went down there for six or seven weeks." Ashley, a native of

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

, says that he was "... a big country and western fan. I got a chance to meet a lot of the guys I had heard and admired." Ashley met

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Reco ...

on the night that Pride became the first black artist to appear at the

Grand Ole Opry The ''Grand Ole Opry'' is a weekly American country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a divis ...

. Ashley later helped Robbins sponsor a stock car racer. "I didn't have to commit a lot of money, but he wanted a publicity tie-in with me, putting ''Straightaway'' on the car. Marty never drove my car, but my car did compete in a couple of races Marty was in."Lamont p 4 Although Ashley had a career as a pop singer, he did not sing in the film.

References

Notes

Lamont, John (1992). "The John Ashley Interview Part 2". Trash Compactor (Volume 2 No. 6 ed.) pp 2-7.

External links

* *{{IMDb title, 0061757
Review of film
at Street Muscle
Hell on Wheels
at Letterbox DVD 1967 films 1960s action films 1960s sports films American auto racing films Crown International Pictures films Films directed by Will Zens 1960s English-language films 1960s American films